Jame Potter, The Hogwarts Years: Year One
by GameOfFandoms
Summary: James Potter Senior has finally reached his first year at Hogwarts! He breezes through his lessons with his new friends by his side and his new enemies behind him. But what happens when word of an evil wizard on the rise reaches Hogwarts? And what happens when one of his followers becomes particularly interested with James and his family, in only his first year?
1. Chapter 1: Preparations for school

**Hi guys! So, this is my new project after my failed attempt at the other fanfic. I just kind of fell out of love with it and it wasn't really going where I wanted it to go which is weird because I wrote it but hey, what can you do? Hopefully this will be much better. I'm planning on doing all of James' years at Hogwarts, the Marauder James, not Harry's James, and I'll keep as close to canon as possible, but there may be a few slight tweaks, such as Mr Potter's occupation, but I hope you'll all be alright with that. Chapters will be uploaded as frequently as possible and I'll only include Author's Notes such as this when necessary. This chapter is shorter than the other ones that I will be doing, so don't worry about the length. See ya next time!**

 **Chapter 1: Preparations for School**

James was too excited to sleep. This was the third night in a row that he had had difficulty passing into the delightful void of pleasant dreams. He lay awake, tossing and turning, until he eventually got up and moved to the window. It was weird really, bizarre when you looked at it, because the thing that had him this worked up was school. Not just any school though, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! As soon as he had been old enough to understand, his parents had revealed the truth to him. He was, well they all were, wizards.

He remembered with a certain fondness the time where it all sank in. As a five year old, James had been astounded when his mum had waved her wand and sent all of the dirty dishes from tea into the sink to begin cleaning themselves. Mrs Potter had simply laughed while Mr Potter made objects on the table fly around the shrieking child's head. He had also been delighted when he learned that he could do that too, even if it would be a lot of years before he mastered it.

Mr Potter was a tall, intimidating figure at first glance, and was indeed a very powerful wizard. He stood at maybe six foot four and had hair the same colour as James, raven black. However, it was nowhere near as untidy as James' hair, as Mr Potter was an exceptionally neat wizard, and very put together. Once one got to know James' father, one would realise that he had a great sense of humour, that his wife constantly chided him for, and he was in fact a very amicable person. As a prominent member of the Auror Office, his intimidating presence was hugely helpful. The Aurors were a branch of the Ministry of Magic that specialised in the detection, defeat and capture of dark wizards. They mostly caught petty criminals, but there came an odd time where they were called upon to apprehend wizards of a more dangerous nature. Mr Potter often compared the Aurors to a group of muggles called "poh-lease men", who did much the same for the muggle world. What they could do without wands, James wasn't sure, but if they were anything like his father then they were clearly more powerful than they seemed.

Mrs Potter was much like her husband, and seemingly gave no thought nor care to the phrase "opposites attract". Euphemia Potter had mousy coloured hair, with only the faintest trace of grey that signified her age. Like her husband, she had been a bit further on in life when they had been blessed with the joy of having James. She was just shy of five foot five and had brown eyes. They weren't a horrible, mucky brown though, they were more like a doe's eyes, gentle and beautiful, until she was angered. James' mother had the most terrifying temper of anyone alive. Both James and his dad had been on the receiving end of one of her withering glares, which they often joked could paralyze a Basilisk. Aside from when she was angry, Mrs Potter was a delightful person. She was kind, caring and compassionate, and every bit the ideal maternal figure.

James' mum and dad owned a small potions company, devised by Mr Potter soon after he had left school, named "Potter's Perfect Potions: All of your needs in a bottle". They were rarely doing anything to do with the company, as it was mostly self running, with the managerial staff taking care of anything that arose, leaving Mr and Mrs Potter at a loss of what to do in their spare time. This lead to Mr Potter taking up a job in the Auror Office, and Mrs Potter had turned to the hobby of cooking and baking. There was seldom a weekend that went by that didn't result in a new batch of cookies or the like.

James had spent a lot of time flicking through his new textbooks that they had purchased in Diagon Alley, the best place to buy wizarding supplies, and quite possibly the best place James had ever visited. His two favourite shops had been Ollivander's Wand Shop, for the obvious reason that he had bought his wand from there, and Quality Quidditch Supplies, where, begrudgingly, Mrs Potter had spent two hours whilst James chatted with the owner in extreme length about brooms, broom care, and the wizard sport of Quidditch.

James brought out his wand now, an eleven inch long mahogany extension of his arm, or that was what it felt like. Mr Ollivander had said that this was good, as the wand had clearly found it's perfect master. James didn't quite understand that though, as Mr Ollivander told him that the wand chooses the wizard, but didn't James choose the wand when he bought it? He had also been told that his wand was very "pliable" and "excellent for Transfiguration", only one of which was understood right away. He knew what Transfiguration was, as it was plastered all over one of his school textbooks, making it a subject, but he had to ask his parents what pliable meant.

Unfortunately, Mrs Potter had downright refused to buy James a broomstick for his first year at Hogwarts, saying that flying lessons began in second year and students weren't allowed to participate in Quidditch until then either. James had been quite put out at the time, so Mr Potter had come up with a few tactful arguments of his own to keep James happy. He had told James that buying him a broom he wouldn't use would waste money that could be used for buying him a newer brand than the Cleansweep he had wanted next year, when he could use it. James had happily agreed, to both of his parent's delight, but had not shut up about brooms all the way home until Mrs Potter had threatened to glue his mouth closed with magic.

James thought more about Hogwarts. Supposedly, it was a huge castle in the middle of the countryside that had many protective enchantments around it to stop people from entering. One of such was that it was unplottable. This meant that it couldn't be located on a map of any kind, ensuring that it could not be found easily by people who wished to harm the school or it's inhabitants. Why anyone would want to target a school was a mystery to James, but it was cool all the same.

Another cool enchantment was that no one could Apparate in or out of the Hogwarts grounds. Apparition was a seriously difficult branch of magic that could end with disastrous results. It involved teleporting oneself to a different place through magic, disassembling and then reassembling yourself in the place you wanted to be. If you didn't focus hard enough then you could splinch. James had never seen this but from what his father had said it wasn't pretty. If you splinched then you could leave part of yourself behind in the place that you Apparated from. You had to be seventeen to have a license, but Apparition classes were given at Hogwarts in sixth year.

He picked his Transfiguration book up from the desk on which it lay and looked at the front cover. With the familiar bubble of excitement in his stomach that he had come to associate with magic, he opened to the page that was marked with a torn strip of parchment and read the spell he had been attempting to practice. His parents had allowed him to experiment with a few simple charms, and his father had even gone so far as to teach him a neat little hex that would force soap bubbles out of the recipients mouth. His father shared that he used this in questioning when the arrested party began too use particularly foul language, and also in school himself as a prank.

Aside from these simple spells, his mum and dad had strictly forbidden magic until he had attended Hogwarts. "For his own safety" they had said. James reckoned that he could handle it though, and with a flick of his wand and the words "Flintifors" the simple white feathered quill he had cast the spell on turned promptly into a matchbox. James punched the air silently in elation. Unfortunately, he punched with his wand arm, sending off red sparks before a loud "Bang!" sounded, sending him scrambling away from the matchbox, or what was left of it. There was a smoking scorch mark on his desk where the matchbox/quill had been.

"That's what spare quills are for," James thought as he surveyed the damage, "blowing up in failed experiments."

Just then his bedroom door imploded with great force to reveal Mr Potter with his wand drawn and in his dressing gown, alert for danger. As he took in the sight before him he relaxed. Just as James thought he was in the clear, Mr Potter said "James. You. Are. In. So. Much. Trouble." He straightened and appeared to calm himself before flicking his own wand, sending all of James' school things, robes, books, cauldron, scales, even his wand, into the open school trunk at the end of the room before sealing it shut and turning to his son.

"I'd rather not have to do that every time you are at home, so don't be making a habit of it. Am I clear?" He warned, staring disapprovingly at the younger Potter.

"Crystal, dad." James said apologetically, before grinning. "It was pretty wicked though."

Surprisingly, Mr Potter smiled.

"All right, it was good, I'll give you that." He said ruefully. "But no more, understand?" James nodded and made to go back to bed, only to sit up again and move to the window as soon as his dad closed the door.

On the other side of James' bedroom door, Mr Potter chuckled quietly. He remembered the excitement of the build up to the first year at Hogwarts. He blissfully recalled his own experiences at the school and smiled. Unfortunately, he doubted that James would have such a peaceful time as he did at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as something was happening in the wizarding world. Something he had been keeping from his ever inquisitive, curious, upbeat, mischievous son. Something big.


	2. Chapter 2: Breakfast and Platforms

**Chapter 2: Breakfast and Platforms**

James woke up with the side of his face pressed up against the icy window pane of his bedroom. He tore himself away and put his hand to his cheek, feeling the cold, moist condensation on his palm. With a start, he realised that this was the day. The day that he'd been waiting for all summer. The day he went to Hogwarts!

He jumped up and made to grab his wand, before remembering the previous nights' events and stared forlornly at his trunk. He silently cursed his dad for being so uptight where magic was concerned. Deep down, he knew it was just that his parents wanted him to be safe, and to learn before he acted, but it still felt harsh to James. Instead of grabbing his wand, he headed across the landing to the bathroom with his towel to have a shower. His mum and dad would have been up a long time by now, and James was sure that they'd have already showered and dressed. He could almost see exactly where they'd be in his mind. Mr Potter would be sat at the far end of the table, so he could keep an eye on the back door lest someone try to gain entry to the house, whilst reading this morning's post. Mrs Potter would most likely be in the kitchen behind him, working on breakfast or some other task that required her attention until her son came down. He smiled to himself as he turned the tap on.

A few minutes later, a sodden James Potter emerged from the bathroom and trudged towards his bedroom. Although nothing could damage his high spirits that day, he had been reluctant to leave the warm cascade of water in exchange for the cold September air creeping in through his now open bedroom window.

James finished pulling on his clothes, some plain but somewhat smart jeans and a casual black and white checked shirt under a brown jumper, and gave himself a once over in the mirror. James considered himself good looking and grinned as he took in the reflection before him in. His hair was, as usual, a black, unruly mess that he almost revered. It never flattened down and his mother had told him that he had an awful habit of messing it up anyway, so she never bothered to try anymore. He passed his eyes over his face, and saw his hazel orbs staring right back at him, and gazed on as a lopsided grin crossed his face, giving it the pleasant feel of one who was approachable and friendly. His body did not matter much to James. As long as he stayed relatively healthy and didn't end up fat then he was happy, but he supposed that he was athletic looking although it was too early in his life to see any real muscle development.

"James!" His mother called, "Are you out of that godforsaken bed yet?!" James smiled again, chuckling to himself. He knew she would ask eventually.

"Coming now mum!" He hollered back down the stairs to her, and, after checking himself one last time in the mirror, ruffling his hair, he bounded down to the kitchen.

"Someone's in a good mood today!" Exclaimed Mr Potter as his son practically flew through the doorway.

"Hmm, I wonder why?" James responded sarcastically, to a laugh from his parents.

"You take no notice of your father dear," Mrs Potter began, to a fake huff of indignation from James' father. "You only start Hogwarts once." She continued, and looked as though she were about to reminisce.

Mr Potter had clearly seen it too, as he hurriedly said "Look dear, the tea's ready!" Both Potter boys knew how long Mrs Potter could go on for, and they let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief. Almost inaudible.

"You two!" She cried in mock outrage. "If it weren't your first day of school..." She trailed off, knowing full well that James knew whatever threat she made would be idle. James started to laugh, but hurriedly turned it into a cough as Mrs Potter turned her infamous glare onto him, scrutinising him, daring him to laugh openly. When she was satisfied that he would not mock her, for the time being, a smile split her face and she carried on with breakfast.

Breakfast at the Potter's was nothing short of heaven, or so James thought. He marvelled at his mother's cooking and how she could make a most amazing meal with whatever she had in her kitchen. Today's breakfast was the biggest Full English that James had ever seen. His mother and father simply laughed at the incredulous expression on his face.

"If you think this is good, wait until you eat at Hogwarts!" Mrs Potter exclaimed.

"Yes," agreed James' father "although your mother's cooking is exceptional, Hogwarts blows everything else out of the water!" James felt a wide grin appear on his face in place of the dumbfounded look that had been there moments before. The three Potters sat to eat. James wolfed his breakfast down at the speed of light and was on his second helping by the time his mother had filled her plate.

"Slow down young man!" She scolded "You'll be having indigestion on the train, and you won't be laughing then!" She added as James chuckled to himself at the chastisement.

"At least if he finishes early he can go and get his trunk from upstairs, we'll be leaving soon." Reasoned Mr Potter. James' fork halted abruptly halfway to his face in surprise.

"What do you mean by soon dad?" He queried curiously. "The train leaves at eleven o'clock, no earlier and no later right? So why are we leaving soon? It's only half eight." James began to doubt his knowledge of the wizarding world, but he was sure he knew the time for the train at least.

"Well, James, the thing is that, as an Auror, I need to be there earlier than all the students to, er, make sure everyone is safe." His dad said.

"Why? What's wrong? Has something happened? I knew you'd been hiding something from me all summer! What is it?" James practically exploded into a flurry of questions thicker than a snowstorm. Initially, Mr Potter was surprised, but then he remembered that James had the instinct of himself, and the stubbornness of his mother and sighed.

"Nothing's wrong James," The seasoned wizard lied, feeling a pang of guilt for the small deceit. "really, nothing." He continued, to a sceptical look from his son.

"But Professor Dumbledore has his reasons, and I can't even begin to understand that man, so don't ask." He added, as a look of suspicion gleamed in James' eye.

"I want you to promise me that you won't let this affect you this year ok? Enjoy Hogwarts for what it is, and leave the outside world to us." James made to argue but thought better of it and simply nodded.

"There's a good lad." Mr Potter smiled "Now go and get your trunk and meet me by the fireplace."

James dashed away from the kitchen table and bounded up the stairs, two at a time. His mind wandered to the look in his father's eye when they were speaking and felt that there was something more to it than his parents had let on. He pushed the thought away, remembering his promise. James Potter wasn't one to break promises. And he had thought of a much better thing to occupy his attention anyway; pranks. There was a wide variety of joke products he had been itching to try out and he was sure there would be many spells that would prove helpful in the creation and practise of the fine art. He wondered briefly who the recipients would be. He didn't know any other wizards or witches his age, as far as he was aware, the Potters were the only magical family within a ten mile radius of their house on the outskirts of London. His mind then turned to those who would be carrying out the dastardly funny deeds with him, but again, could not name nor picture anyone.

Mr and Mrs Potter were shrugging their coats on as James re-appeared at the top of the stairs with his heavy trunk dragging behind him.

"Look out below!" The young Potter boy cried as he let go of the handle and the trunk thundered down the steps. Mr Potter barely flinched and, without looking, waved his wand to bring the trunk's resounding progress to a stop at the bottom step. Mrs Potter however, looked the complete opposite of her nonchalant husband. Her face was reddening at an alarming rate and she was swelling up to release a large string of profanities and extremely loud ranting at her son, but was stopped by the doorbell.

"I will deal with you in a moment." She snarled at a stock still James and opened the door with a much more pleasant expression on her face.

"Oh, hullo Alastor." Said James' dad cheerily, gesturing for the visitor to enter. "We were just getting ready to go."

"Don't let me stop you Potter, I'm only here to accompany you. Ministry rules and all that." The visitor rasped. As he stepped into view, James saw the gleaming badge of an Auror on the visitor's breast, one of his father's colleagues.

"Ah, so this'll be your lad then Fleamont?" The visitor, Alastor, asked, glancing up at James, who almost staggered with surprise, he'd never heard anyone but his mother use his dad's first name before. A twisted but not unkind smile formed on Alastor's lips.

"Don't worry boy, I don't bite. Much." He cackled.

"See Alastor, this is why you haven't many friends." Sighed James' dad. "Don't be scared James, Moody just has a unique sense of humour."

"Who needs friends? Friends are overrated, especially in..." He trailed off at a warning glare from Mrs Potter. "Never mind, your dad's right Potter. I'm unusual, even among wizards." Again he cackled, a noise that whilst unpleasant, James found infectious, and soon he was stifling his own laughter at his mother's wide eyed look of worry and his father's deadpanned expression.

When all had quietened down at the Potter house, they finally assembled at the fireplace, ready to leave. A person less acquainted with magic might have asked how they were planning to leave through a fireplace and arrive at King's Cross without being blotted out by soot. The answer to James, though, was simple. Floo Powder.

"Come on James dear, grab some powder." Mrs Potter said, lighting the fire with a simple flick of her wand. James stepped up smartly and put his hand into the small, ceramic pot on the mantelpiece, withdrawing it full of a glittery, silver powder.

"Where am I headed dad?" James questioned, even though he already knew the answer.

"King's Cross, son," Mr Potter replied. "I'll be right behind you." James stepped into the emerald flames and said the words

"King's Cross Station." as loudly and as clearly as he could, and the familiar living room swirled until it was unrecognisable, and James was engulfed in the flames.

James stepped out of the fireplace into unfamiliar territory. He'd never been to King's Cross before, but he was sure that it didn't compromise of a large hallway with multiple fireplaces and an eerie feel to it. Where were the trains? The people? That funny man that shouted "All aboard!"? Just as he was about to turn around to look for more Floo Powder, James heard a small pop and a shower of green embers fluttered around him, announcing his father's arrival.

"Dad, where are we?" James said carefully and slowly, unable to prevent himself from feeling watched, as if someone else was already here.

"King's Cross of course James!" Mr Potter responded. "I know it doesn't look much, but that's because this is only a small room inside the station."

"Small?!" James cried, and his voice reverberated down the huge, chamber like structure. Mr Potter simply chuckled.

"Yes, small. You see, the muggle Prime Minister has asked if we keep travel slightly more inconspicuous this year, because the muggles find it strange that, even at the start of school, thousands of people with young children travel to King's Cross to see them off, not to mention the huge trunks with owls, cauldrons and such. So we agreed that they would let us have one of these side rooms to use as a base of travel, if you like. Wizards and witches from all over have had their houses connected to the Floo Network, so we had to perform a rather tricky enchantment to enlarge the room but keep it the same on the outside, and then fill it with fireplaces." James looked around in wonder.

"So this is an Undetectable Extension Charm?" He breathed. "Wicked!" For a brief moment surprise flickered across Mr Potter's face as he did not expect James to know so much. But then he remembered how James seemed to have absorbed things from the textbooks over the holidays, a feat quite unheard of for the younger Potter, and he masked his surprise, replacing it with a smile. James noticed that their fire was the only one of about a hundred that was lit. His father noticed the concern appearing on his son's face, and placed a hand on his arm.

"Don't worry James, the other fires will be lit later on, when others start to arrive. Until then, it's just me, you, your mum and Alastor." As if hearing his name had summoned him, Moody appeared from the fireplace and strode over to them.

"Euphemia's going to be a bit longer." He stated shortly. "Said she needed to double check young Master Potter's packing abilities." He winked and then began to move off. "I'll go find Crouch, secure the perimeter and all that." He called over his shoulder. When Moody had gone, Mr Potter glanced down at James.

"I was supposed to wait for your mother to do this, she wanted to see your reaction," He began. "But are you ready to see Platform Nine and Three Quarters?" James felt another wide grin split his face as he nodded.

"Thought you'd never ask!" He exclaimed.

"Well then son, let's go." Smiled Mr Potter, and set off through the double doors at the end of the hall.

James emerged from the hall, squinting against the surprisingly bright sunlight of the September morning. He looked around and gasped. He had seen pictures of trains before, but that couldn't possibly compare to the multi-coloured steam engines that sat before him. Admittedly, they weren't all that vibrant and colourful, but it was a sight that James had never seen the likes of before. He turned to see his father watching him, looking amused,

"Amazing isn't it?" He said. "But don't go looking for the Hogwarts Express here, you won't find her."

"Why?" Asked James. "I thought it left from King's Cross."

"And she does." Answered Mr Potter. "But do you see Platform Nine and Three Quarters here?" The question was rhetorical, but James felt a strange compulsion to look around and answer.

"No," He said, his brain frantically whirring, he remembered reading somewhere that you had to do something strange to get there. Something involving a wall...

He became aware that his father was giving him time to work it out.

"No, because... Because, because you have to go through the wall that separates Platforms Nine and Ten!" He crowed triumphantly. Mr Potter smiled.

"Very good James. I'm impressed. If you study as hard as you read those books this holiday then you'll breeze through school." He commended. James snorted.

"Who needs to study when you have this much talent?" He said cockily.

Mr Potter sighed. At least he had tried.

"Well, Mr Natural Talent, do you want to go first?" James stiffened slightly. His cockiness began to drain away as he realised all that could go wrong. What if the wall was just a wall? What if it didn't let him through? He stuffed his doubts away in the back of his mind and allowed a confident grin spread across his face.

"Ok, I'll give it a go. But if I walk into a wall I'm suing you!" He cried in a dramatic fashion and began walking towards the wall at a swift, brisk pace.

"Hold it there young man!" Came an angry female voice from behind him. It sounded somewhat familiar. His heart dropped when he turned around. His mother was storming towards them, levitating James' trunk behind her. But it wasn't James that she was glaring at. The recipient of the glare was none other than Mr Potter, who was backing away slowly.

"We were supposed to take him through together Fleamont!" Mrs Potter chastised, flashing a wink at James, who grinned at his dad's reaction.

"W-well, I-I was just going to..." Began Mr Potter, breaking off as James' mum raised her eyebrows at him and then smiled.

"You devil!" Cried Mr Potter in mock hurt. "You had me going there love." He sighed, as much in relief as in resigned realisation that he had been bested.

"That's what I'm here for," Said Mrs Potter, "To keep you in line. Now go on James, you can do it now."

James turned and faced the solid brick wall. He pushed away his nerves, reminding himself that his parents wouldn't condone this if it wasn't safe. He flashed a cocky grin at his mum and dad, who smiled back, and stepped smartly yet casually towards the wall. Ever the showman, just before he reached the wall, he turned a cartwheel. Instead of his feet simply striking the wall, they carried on with their momentum and went straight through. As the rest of his body followed, James could hear laughter escaping from his parents, presumably at his expression of disbelief as he tumbled through the not-so-solid wall.

James stood up and brushed himself off from his uncontrolled finish to his cartwheel through the wall. He became aware of someone clapping, slowly, almost as if sarcastically applauding a poor performance. He glanced around and saw Alastor Moody leaning on a wall, a real one this time, and gave a sheepish smile.

"Never miss an opportunity for theatrics do you Potter?" Moody laughed "Every bit of your dad and mum put together you are, how will Dumbledore cope this year?"

"Quite well, I should hope." Answered Mr Potter, emerging through the trick wall. "Since there's only one of him."

"Aye, but then if there's one of him, they'll likely be a few more just like him!" Cackled Moody, and Mr Potter's face fell.

"Oh God, you're right Alastor, Dumbledore had best give up now." He chuckled as Mrs Potter joined him from the other side.

"So, James, welcome to Platform Nine and Three Quarters!" She exclaimed. "What do you think?" James looked around before answering. His eyes took in the sight set before him and they widened until they rivalled the size of dinner plates.

"It's wicked!" He breathed, his eyes sparkling as they grabbed hold of every tiny detail they could, and crammed the memory of it into his brain. The scarlet steam engine of the Hogwarts Express dazzled him. It was by far and wide the best thing he had ever seen.

"Much better than those muggle ones!" He declared, and the three adults present laughed.

"Glad you think that," Came an unfamiliar voice, and four heads whipped around at the speed of light to see a tall, amiable wizard striding towards them. "Took a lot to build and charm it did." Continued the man. He glanced at the confused faces around him and chuckled. "Name's Phillip Westwold, but you can call me Phil, or the esteemed train driver of the Hogwarts Express if you like. Isn't she a beaut?" He said, admiring the engine. "Now then lad, since you've arrived so early, and have already paid such a kind compliment to my beloved here, why don't you come with me whilst the adults make small talk?" He asked James. James looked at his parents, bringing into play the biggest puppy dog eyes he could manage, making them laugh.

"Go on, just be back by twenty five past ten ok?" Mrs Potter said, pushing him away playfully. James nodded in earnest and trotted after Phil, who began speaking captivatingly about the train that would take him to Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3: Talks on the train

**Chapter 3: Talks on the train**

James laughed as he pulled the chain that dangled from the roof of the engine cabin at the head of the train, producing a loud forlorn reverberation that echoed around the station. Phil chuckled as he leaned out of the front cabin to see that James' parents and Alastor Moody had jumped out of their skins. Moody was particularly animated; jumping up and down and brandishing his wand in what was hopefully a playful manner before stomping off somewhere out of sight.

"Nice one lad," Phil praised, "that one made them jump higher than a house!"

James laughed again. The two had become remarkably close to friends in the hour and a half that they had known each other. Phil had shown James the entire train, teaching him which cabins were the best ones and which he shouldn't sit in. Apparently, the cabins in the third out of the six carriages were the better ones, as they got the smoothest ride with less noise from the engine. Another major part was that the witch that pushed the refreshment trolley started from the front and worked backwards, so the third carriage not only got the optimum ride, but also got their pick of the refreshments before the trolley was depleted. Phil also gave an insight as to who built the Hogwarts Express and why, how long it had been running, and how it worked. Instead of the coal powered engine that muggle trains had, the Hogwarts Express ran on magic. All Phil had to do was utter the starting incantation and then she worked like a normal train, only she would require no shovelling of coal through a tiny hatch. James had begged and pleaded for the knowledge of the incantation, but to no avail.

"It wouldn't do for students to know how to stop and start the train now would it?" Phil had said shaking his head. "Then they could mess with it, making my job all the harder."

James had been unable to persuade Phil otherwise, so they had moved on to the front cabin and James had spent some time learning how to operate the train, although it remained stationary without the starting spell.

"Oh blimey!" Said the train driver, checking his watch. "It's nearly twenty past, you'd better get a move on James!" James glanced at his own watch in dismay, but then excitement returned as he realised how close he was to going to Hogwarts. He flung himself from the cabin as if he was diving into a swimming pool, tucking and rolling through as he hit the pavement of the station. Phil watched in disbelief.

"It's a wonder you haven't hurt yourself already kid." He said. "Now get going or your mum will have both our hides!" James nodded and took off, waving goodbye and shouting a thanks to Phil as he headed towards his mum and dad.

James' parents weren't alone when he returned, out of breath from the quick sprint down the length of the train. A tall, slim intimidating wizard in a crisp suit stood with them, speaking to Mr Potter. It was evident from Mr Potter's face that the conversation wasn't a pleasant one and both parties abruptly stopped speaking as James slowed into a trot.

"Ah, James! There you are!" Said Mr Potter almost gratefully, hastily rearranging his features into a smile. "Bartemius, this is my son, James. James, this is Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Auror Office." Crouch smiled thinly and inclined his head, whilst James simply said; "Pleasure to meet you sir."

"Can you two continue this conversation later please?" Asked Mrs Potter, with a hint of threat in her voice. Mr Crouch looked taken aback for a moment, but nodded his agreement.

"As you wish Euphemia, I shall leave you now, I must find Alastor. I want his report on my desk by Wednesday." And with that, the foreboding wizard turned on his heel and strode away.

"Don't you worry about him James," Mr Potter said once Mr Crouch was out of earshot. "Bartemius isn't as human as the rest of us. I think he survives on paperwork to be frank." James stifled a laugh as Mrs Potter shot a chastising glance at her husband.

"Have fun on your tour dear?" She said, changing the subject.

"Yeah! It was wicked! Phil told me loads!..." James went on, regaling his talk with Phil to his parents, who listened with amused expressions on their faces.

As the time swiftly approached twenty to eleven, James noticed others arriving through the barrier between Platform Nine and Platform Ten. Some of the students were clearly returning, as they were bigger and looked much older than James. The newer, first year students were easier to identify as they wore the same look of awe and wonder on their faces as they stepped through the magical wall. Some of the adults nodded or waved to James' mum and dad, who returned the gestures, often whispering names of notice to James, important ministry figures and whatnot. At last, the clock read ten to, marking James' boarding of the Hogwarts Express. Just before he stepped onto the train, Mrs Potter grabbed hold of the back of his shirt and hauled him backwards, as Mr Potter drew an ancient looking camera from apparently nowhere. James groaned inwardly. Some of it must have shown on the outside however, as Mrs Potter fixed him with a glare. He straightened up and gave them his best smile, ruffling his hair awkwardly as he noticed other students looking on and sniggering at the precious first year that was having his photo taken. The camera flashed as Mr Potter snapped the picture.

"Lovely," He said. "You're free to go." He smiled and James pulled his parents into a hug before hurriedly jumping onto the third carriage to find a compartment.

Seemingly, some of the older students had figured out that the third carriage was the best too, as it was almost full. Just as James was about to slip into the only unoccupied one, he heard voices from further down the carriage. He stuck his head out to see two boys stood maybe a foot apart, shouting. The one with his back to James had disgustingly greasy looking hair, whilst the other boy had hair that was almost too well looked after. The boy that James could see all of had his face contracted in a snarl, as the other boy taunted him.

"I should have expected that an idiot like you would resort to common muggle violence." Sneered the greasy haired boy. "Clearly you believe you are something special. Well I can assure you that isn't the case. You are nothing but a braggart and an idiotic one at that. I'm surprised that they even let you into this school."

The other boy stopped snarling and laughed.

"Rich talk coming from the slimiest of foes." He quipped, to laughter from down the corridor. Some of the other students had been as curious as James and come out to watch the show. "Tell me, do you normally look like that or is this just a good day?" The greasy haired boy stayed silent, but James could see by his body language that he was angry. The jibe had clearly struck home.

"You're very quick with your words, but why don't we see how quick you are with your wand?" Challenged the greasy haired boy, raising his as he said so. The other boy considered this for a moment before turning away.

"Sorry, come back to me when you don't smell like a dead skunk that bathed in its own waste." He jeered, before turning and walking away. The greasy haired boy kept his wand raised and jabbed it towards the receding figure of his foe.

"Engorgio Skullus!" He shouted, and with a bang the other boy fell over, his head swelling rapidly. "Now you have a head to match your ego!" Sneered the greasy haired boy. James felt almost obliged to help the other boy, whose head now resembled something the size of a beach ball. He stepped forward and raised his own wand.

"Calvario!" James shouted, and the greasy haired boy turned to receive the spell full on in the face. His hair began to fall out at an alarming rate, and soon the greasy haired boy was left with nothing more than a wisp of black on his head.

"Y-y-you." He said, almost shaking with rage.

"Not so funny when its not you that's casting the spell is it?" Said James evenly. "I, for one, don't know why you're complaining to be honest. I did you a favour. Your hair looks much less greasy now." Another round of laughter rolled down the hallway, along with some applause.

"Run along now, maybe you can grow it back before we get to Hogwarts." James said cheerily, and the greasy haired boy ran past him, shouldering him out of the way as his hands clutched his now bald head. James smiled and turned to help the boy whom the greasy haired boy had been fighting with.

"Finite." Said one of the older students as he waved his wand, taking pity on the boy. The enlarged head seemed to deflate until it reached normal size.

"Thanks," Gasped the boy, as James helped him up. "Now where did that greasy haired git go?" He said, turning round in an attempt to find his target. James held out an arm to stop him.

"Easy mate, I got him for you. What were you even fighting about?" James asked. The other boy seemed reluctant to speak in front of his audience.

"Well, come sit with me anyway, I have a compartment all to myself." James invited, and the boy looked gratefully at him.

"What's your name by the way?" James asked curiously, glancing at his new companion.

"Sirius," The boy said. "Sirius Black."

"So, what did you get him with?" Asked Sirius eagerly. The two were back in the compartment, that could comfortably seat four, if not six.

"It was a Calvario hex." James replied modestly. "The only offensive thing I could think of, aside from his hair!" Sirius barked with laughter, and James knew right then and there that here was a boy he could be friends with.

"So, where do your family come from?" Queried James, who was eager to learn about his new friend. Instantly Sirius' face darkened.

"London." He stated shortly. "Same as you I suspect." James cringed inwardly at himself. He should have been more thoughtful than to nose in on someone's private life. He desperately cast around for a new topic.

"Train should be leaving soon." He said casually. Sirius seemed to relax once the conversation did not involve his family.

"Yeah, I'm well up for it, can't wait to see Hogwarts!" He professed. James' reply was lost as a knock sounded on the door of their compartment, turning both heads towards the semi-glass door. Two boys, roughly their age were stood there. One was about the same height as James and Sirius, though he looked a slight shabbier than them. The boy next to him was small, almost mouse-like, and seemed terrified of everything he looked at.

"Um, do you...?" The first boy said, trailing off a little in embarrassment. Sirius looked at James, who nodded.

"Mind? Not at all!" Sirius said, beaming, gesturing for the two newcomers to make themselves at home. Both boys looked extremely grateful and sat down opposite each other, the smaller on Sirius' side and the shabbier boy on James' side. The first boy introduced himself as Remus Lupin, and came across as extremely knowledgeable and clever. The other boy told them that he was Peter Pettigrew, whom Remus had apparently bumped into almost straight away. The four began chatting animatedly as the Hogwarts Express slowly chugged out of the station. James even forgot to wave to his parents as he spoke with his newfound compatriots.

Almost thirty minutes into the journey, James glanced around at his three new acquaintances. There was Sirius, the same height as James, and equally as loud. His hair fell down in almost glossy locks to just above his jawline, and his grey eyes were nowhere near as bleak as they should have been for their colour. They instead shone with downright mischievousness and, partnered with his charismatic smile, made him an immediately likeable person. Sirius had said little about his family, which had gone unnoticed by no one, and had given incredibly vague answers that often deflected the question onto a completely different subject that seemed far beyond his years. To Sirius' right sat Peter Pettigrew. Peter hadn't said too much about himself, but rather had been content to sit in awe at his three new friends. James felt a pang of sympathy for the smaller boy, before berating himself. Peter didn't need sympathy, he needed a friend. Peter had mousy brown hair that had no clear style to it, it just kind of sat on his head, and his bright blue eyes were wide as he took in the three people with whom he was conversing with. Opposite from Peter was Remus Lupin. Remus had brilliant forest green eyes that were a complete contrast to his ordinary brown hair. It soon became evident that Remus was a student that very much liked books, as he spouted facts that the other three would never have known if not for him. For the most part, Remus sat quietly, almost analysing the conversation and his witty comebacks to any remarks thrown his way had the group laughing for minutes as the recipient tried to figure out if they had been insulted or not.

Just then the door to their compartment burst open, almost shattering the glass in it, revealing a redheaded girl their age looking absolutely furiously at them.

"Um, hello." Said James cautiously, as if he was worried that the girl might bight them or blow up, which he was.

"Would you have happened, perchance, to have hexed a boy with dark hair about thirty minutes ago, give or take a few?" She asked coldly. James looked at Sirius, who was hiding a grin, and then at Remus and Peter who were looking at him, shocked.

"Well, it depends on who's asking." James said cryptically. He looked at the girl more closely and noticed that she was, in fact, very pretty. She had green eyes that instead of being a forest green like Remus', were a vibrant hue of emerald that were infinitely more captivating. Her dark red hair fell in waves to her shoulders, shimmering in a colour that fire could only dream of. He sat with his mouth hanging slightly open for a minute before realising she was speaking again.

"Who's asking is his friend, who has had to ask a seventh year to charm his hair back in and who most certainly is not against throwing you off of this train. What kind of people are you? Attacking him like that without any reason two to one?! That's despicable! I have half a mind to go straight to the teachers after this and get you both expelled!" She ranted, clearly having rehearsed this whilst looking for them. James' mouth was that of a fish, opening and closing, but no sound came out.

"What my friend here is attempting to say ma'am," Rescued Sirius smoothly. "Is that we would have done nothing of the sort if the slimy git hadn't deserved it!" The girl's eyes narrowed in a deadly manner.

"And what, did he do to deserve it?" She asked in a perilously calm and cold voice. Sirius froze as he tried to remember his argument. The redheaded girl took this to mean that there was no reason.

"I thought so." She said, and stormed off down the train.

"What in Merlin's beard was that?" Asked Peter, astounded. Sirius looked sheepish.

"I dunno, I looked at her and I forgot everything but self preservation mate. You know, if I stay still maybe she won't see me?" He finished hopefully. James roared with laughter.

"What was all of this about you two attacking another student though? Was she serious?" Remus said questioningly. Sirius brushed it off.

"Of course she wasn't, I am!" He said. "She can't pass for someone as good looking as me!"

"I don't know about that mate." James said, his mind flashing back to the redheaded girl. "I think I'm in love." Sirius snorted.

"You can't be serious James, she'll eat you alive!" Said Peter.

"Has no one here being paying attention this entire journey?!" Sirius said. "I'm Sirius! You know, dashing good looks, hair like you wouldn't believe, huge muscles, charming, your friend?" James pretended to think.

"I'm not sure about the muscles and good looking bit, but friend is definitely right." He quipped to a round of laughter. They continued exchanging snipes in a good natured way until Peter asked what was on everyone's mind.

"When's the food trolley coming round?"

Every pair of eyes went to Remus, but it was James who got their first.

"Around half past one. Train doesn't get to Hogsmeade until six, so we have plenty of time to kill." He said to general astonishment.

"What?" He said. "I had a lot of time here before you lot even got up, I got talking to the train driver." After that, the topic quickly changed to school and the lessons.

"I'm looking forward to Defence Against the Dark Arts." Declared Sirius. "I can't wait to get to know some good hexes to use on Reg-never mind." He said quickly, flushing and turning towards the window. There was an awkward silence as James and the others realised that Sirius had been about to share his first and only comment about his family. Remus put an end to the painful lull in conversation.

"I'll admit, I've been looking forward to charms, there are some really interesting ones in the book." James stared at him, dumbstruck.

"You've read all of the charms book already?!" He said, aghast. Remus smiled.

"Actually I've already read all of the books." A silence of astonishment filled the compartment.

"What?" Remus demanded, a little defensively. "Surely you've all had a look at them?"

"Not really Remus, I just stopped at the first spell I found in the first book I picked up." Said James, and he recounted the scene in his bedroom the previous night, to a fair bit of laughter from the others.

"Hang on," Said Sirius. "Where did you learn that spell you used on that greasy slime ball then?" He said, triumphantly. James merely shrugged.

"Heard my mum say that dad looks like he's been hit by a Calvario hex nowadays, so I guessed the incantation and used it." Peter looked at him in shock.

"B-but that could have done anything!" He squeaked.

"Come on Peter, give James some credit would you? He stopped him from attacking me and gave the git a haircut at the same time!" Sirius broke in savagely. Remus held his hands up, causing Sirius to pause.

"What Peter meant was that James could have said the incantation of a different spell that could have caused serious damage, or he could have misfired with disastrous results. And no, that wasn't aimed at you." He added, as Sirius had been about to mention the unintentional pun.

"What about you Peter?" Asked James. "Which lesson are you looking forward to?" Peter pondered for a moment before answering.

"I don't know really, I'm going to give them all a chance and see which one I like best." He said thoughtfully. James nodded.

"A good plan that, Peter. I think I'll join you in that, though History of Magic doesn't sound too promising, probably about some wizard who invented the first spell ever and then go on from there." Peter beamed and James looked at Remus to confirm if his guess about History of Magic was right. Remus chuckled.

"I think you have been reading those textbooks James, that's pretty much what the first chapter is."

"See, who needs to read when you already know it? I've got superior talent, me" He said, prodding his chest with his finger.

"Yes, pity you have such an ego." Came a drawling voice from the doorway. A tall, blonde haired boy stood there, a badge that read 'Prefect' pinned to his left breast, and an embroidered logo with a serpent on the right. A familiar figure stood next to him, greasy hair now intact.

"Are these the boys that hexed you Severus? You did the right thing in coming to me." The prefect drawled again. The boy with greasy hair nodded, a malevolent look spreading across his face. James' heart dropped.

"My, my, such a shame that I can't dock points from you this early on in the year." Sneered the tall prefect. "That would be a school record; if only I knew your house." Sirius' eyes narrowed.

"I know you. Lucius Malfoy. What idiot made you prefect?!" He said with nothing but contempt in his voice as he stared the older boy down. Malfoy did not seem perturbed by this, instead, his lip curled back in a snarl.

"Honestly Snape, these two bested you?" He said to the slimy boy. "Well, I can make allowances with it being a two on one, and I shall take it upon myself to teach you how to deal with people like this." James was pleased to see Snape's head drop slightly in shame, but then it rose as Malfoy carried on speaking.

"What can you hope to teach him aside from to not start fights he can't win?" Taunted James, throwing caution to the wind. Malfoy's sneer widened.

"Lesson one, Severus, is not what this dim-witted moron suggests. It is to make sure you have the means to win. And that means bringing support."

As Malfoy spoke, two larger boys, third years by the look of them, stepped menacingly towards the compartment and shouldered inside. Peter scrambled back and Malfoy laughed.

"You see Severus, they are not so strong now are they? Not when the odds are evened."

Just in time, the shrill sound of the train whistle sounded, announcing that they would arrive in Hogsmeade soon, the station closest to Hogwarts. The thugs backed off, looking uncertainly at Malfoy, who nodded and swept away without a word, dragging the greasy haired boy with him. As they left, the four first years glanced at each other and breathed a sigh of relief. James noticed that both him and Sirius had their wands out and were standing rigidly, tensed for the abruptly halted interaction. Remus also had his wand out, whilst Peter scrambled upright from his mad dash away from the door. Slowly, the boys relaxed, and began to laugh nervously.

"Come on, robes." Said Remus, as if nothing had happened. "We're nearly there now." And with that he reached up and yanked his robes from the rack above the seats, and the others hastened to do the same, Sirius with far more force than necessary. It was James that voiced the unasked question in the room.

"Sirius, how did you know that prefect back there?" Sirius' face darkened, but then the shadow passed as quickly as it had appeared as he thought of a suitably mysterious reply.

"Ask me no questions, and I shall tell you no lies." He said cheerfully. His cheerfulness was marred slightly by the tiny hint of a threat in his voice that said 'drop it', and the other three did so.

"So, hopes for houses?" Said Remus tactfully, providing a quick change of subject, which Peter gratefully jumped upon, because the way that Sirius had been glowering had set warning signs flashing in his mind.

"I almost want to be in Slytherin," He said, to a gasp from the others. "Not because I'm evil," He clarified. "But just so that I could see the look on Malfoy's face when he realises that he can't dock points from his own house without being hated." He said, to a roar of laughter from James and Remus and even a reluctant smile from Sirius.

"Well I for one, am hoping for Gryffindor." Announced James, to no surprise from the others. "Following in mum and dad's footsteps."

"Well, do excuse me from not doing the same with my parents, that'd make us enemies." Sirius stated, and then paled slightly, as if he'd said too much.

"Nonsense!" James scoffed. "It wouldn't make us enemies, it'd give us an inside man to prank Malfoy and Snivellus!" Sirius turned on him.

"And who said that my parents were Slytherin?" He demanded angrily. There was a slight pause as each mind whirred at the speed of light, yielding next to nothing but emotion. Remus interrupted the heated exchange.

"Nothing, Sirius, but Gryffindor's are typically enemies with Slytherin's, James just assumed that was what you meant." Remus covered smoothly. Sirius huffed but said nothing, although after a few seconds he murmured something.

"What was that mate?" James said, cupping his ear and leaning forward.

"What did you call him? That greasy git?" Sirius said, louder this time. James frowned.

"Oh, Snivellus. Bit pathetic really, but it was the best I could do under the constraints of the situation." He broke off as Sirius barked with laughter, and Peter and Remus chuckled as well.

"Give yourself some credit mate, that was good!" Sirius cackled. "But anyway, we got off topic, which house Peter?" Peter looked shocked to be asked so suddenly.

"Oh, erm, I dunno, hopefully the same house as at least one of you." He stammered. James nodded.

"Can't get fairer than that. What about you Remus? Ravenclaw? You certainly like books." Remus nodded.

"Books yes, but I like to think that I wouldn't pick books over my friends. Though the prospect is tempting with you three." The all laughed and turned to their robes, pulling on cloaks and tugging ties to make themselves look somewhat presentable as the train began to slow into Hogsmeade.


	4. Chapter 4: Hogwarts at last

**Chapter Four: Hogwarts at last**

James stepped off of the Hogwarts Express with much less dignity than he would have liked to. Instead of grandly stepping off in front of a crowd of admirers he ended up tripping over Remus' robes and was sent sprawling onto the hard concrete of the platform. Sirius soon followed suit, having been the one that pushed James onto the back of Remus' robes, and then Peter, clutching onto Remus in a desperate attempt to stay upright. The four landed in a heap at the front of an extraordinarily large man with a dull thud. The man reached one giant, spade-like hand towards them and simply plucked Remus from the top of the pile and set him on his feet. Peter received a likewise and surprisingly gentle treatment. Sirius managed to scramble off of James before he could be similarly attended to and James rolled onto his hands and knees, pushing himself up. As he dusted himself off, James couldn't shake the feeling that there seemed to be a pattern emerging of him falling onto train platforms. He turned to thank the rather enormous man and heard a snort behind him, followed by a body shouldering him out of the way. He stared in dumbfounded silence as the redhead from the train strode off, her eyes glinting in almost a sinister manner that, strangely, accentuated her features to make her seem even more pretty than before.

"Yep, that's it," James thought. "I'm in love".

The girl in question appeared to take James' prolonged staring at her as an insult as she narrowed her eyes and her face contorted from a smug air to a glower of near hatred. James blinked in confusion and suddenly, as if a veil had been lifted, saw the girl's companion.

"Come on Lily," Snape seemed to be saying, as if desperate to recapture her attention. "Let's go."

Lily, for that seemed to be the fiery-haired girl's name, reluctantly dropped her glowering and James flashed her a quick smirk before turning away in order to escape receiving another death glare.

"Earth to James." Sirius was saying. "You there mate? Or has your mind been ensnared by the wildest of temptresses?" He sniggered, seeing where James had been gazing. James quickly recovered his wits to snipe back.

"Careful Sirius mate, you're starting to sound like Remus with those big words, that one was almost four syllables!"

This produced such a roar of laughter from the surrounding students that even Sirius barked with laughter. Then, James turned to the giant-like figure that stood in front of them, being thanked nervously by a stammering Peter.

"Ah, t'was nothin' lad, don' mention it." Said the figure gruffly, but not unkindly. James took a second to fully take in the colossal man. The first thing he noticed was his size. Huge didn't even cover the being that looked well over ten feet tall and had a girth larger than a beer keg. He had black eyes that twinkled with kindness rather than the savageness that his body would suggest, and a shaggy black mane of unkempt hair that reached his shoulders. James realised that he was the only one left with something to say to the huge man.

"Erm, thank you, sir." He said tentatively. The giant figure roared, but with laughter, not anger.

"I'm no 'sir' boy, don' you worry." He laughed. "Name's Rubeus Hagrid. Keeper of grounds and keys here at Hogwarts. Now if you'll excuse me." He turned away and cupped his hands into an abnormally large megaphone that James suspected could be heard miles away.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere please. Wi' me!" Hagrid managed to herd the gaggle of first years, which looked to be almost eighty strong, to an isolated section of the platform, just in front of a set of steps that seemed to slope gradually down towards some form of body of water, as James could faintly hear the rhythmic lapping of water on a shore.

"Righ' then, follow me." Said Hagrid, and clumped down the dimly lit path with giant strides. James shot a questioning glance at Remus, who nodded and mouthed 'boats' to him. Slightly emboldened by the fact that this was all part of the plan, James strode confidently after the groundskeeper with Sirius at his shoulder, Remus and Peter not far behind, the latter shrinking slightly as they left the security of the platform.

They trekked on for a short while, muttering together in small groups but otherwise quiet in light of the circumstances. It was reaching around six thirty now and, along with the fullness of stomachs, the light was fast disappearing. Soon it would be too dark to see ten feet in front of them. Indeed, James almost walked into Hagrid, who had suddenly stopped and turned around to face the subdued group.

"Righ'," The big man said gruffly. "No more than four to a boat, come on now." There was a moment of confusion from the students as they worked out if they had heard right, before Hagrid stepped out of the way to allow them all to behold a small wooden dock, with roughly twenty small boats moored there. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter were the first into a boat, choosing the one closest to where Hagrid was lowering himself into his own boat that looked far too small for him.

"Um, Hagrid," Began James. "Where are the oars?" There was a bout of laughter from the other students, both at James' ignorance of magic and in relief that they hadn't had to ask. Hagrid chuckled.

"No oars here Potter, magic boats these." He said with pride. "Carved a couple o' new ones meself from one o' the great oak trees in the forest and then Dumbledore, Professor Dumbledore sorry, enchanted 'em." There were gasps and "oohs" from the boats as the first years were easily impressed by what Hagrid was telling them. The huge gamekeeper seemed mollified and was more than happy to answer any questions that burst forth from the group.

"Ok," He said at last. "We've waited long enough now, any later and we won't make it in time for the feast!" He exclaimed. "Can' have you late for yer firs' feast now can we? And yer sortin' and everythin'." There was another buzz in conversation as Hagrid lazily waved his hand and said; "Forward!". The boats lurched away from the dock at once, and began a smooth journey down what appeared to be a river that opened out into a great lake that looked as black as the abyss. James felt sure that they were going to fall very suddenly at any minute, but then he looked up and everything else was wiped from his mind as he took in the view before him. Others followed his gaze with interest, only for their eyes to widen like saucers as they too caught their first glimpse of the school. Hogwarts was perched on something that wasn't quite the size of a mountain, but an incline that wasn't justified by the word "hill". The glimmering lights through the windows and the distance between them and the structure made the castle look like a piece of scenery from a train set. There were more gasps as the people around James realised the vast size of the castle and indeed, the lake surrounding it. On one side of the castle, to the right side, the mountainous hill ended in a deadly drop, whilst the other side had a more peaceful and less arduous incline. James could only assume that the Forbidden Forest curved round the grounds from the back of the castle through to near Hogsmeade, meaning it enclosed their left entirely, although it was far too dark to see for certain. The boats kept their steady pace, giving the students ample time to take in their surroundings.

The castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was truly a magnificent sight. Upon its roost, the castle seemed an ancient paradise, a safe haven, as it poured out beams of light from the thousands of windows that adorned its walls. There were well over twenty towers that James could see, and each of them carried their own shape, although built in the same style. The boats continued their extensive journey towards the far side of the lake.

When they alighted upon the docks that lead to a rickety looing boat house, James was the first one out, followed closely by Remus, Sirius and Peter. The first years gathered together, glancing nervously at the darkening scenery. There was now barely enough light for James to check his watch, as the main source was Hagrid's lantern.

"Righ' then." Hagrid said bracingly. "Time for yeh all t' go and meet Professor McGonagall." And with that he strode off down the side of the hut, illuminating a small, thin path that twisted up the hillside, gesturing for them all to follow. The group of first years hesitated, but then rushed after the swinging light in an effort to not be left behind.

It was only once they reached the steps leading to the castle doors themselves that James truly appreciated the gargantuan size of Hogwarts. What had seemed like an already enormous castle from the lake was actually far bigger when you got up close, and James looked for the expressions on his friends' faces before realising that only Sirius remained with him. Remus and Peter seemed to have gotten lost further back in the group. The doors were large enough for even Hagrid to walk through without difficulty, standing at roughly fifteen feet tall and eight feet across. The entrance was elaborately carved with exceptional attention to detail, drawing gasps from the excited first years as they beheld the spectacle. Hagrid approached the doors and gave a single, heavy pound with his huge fist before backing off slightly, allowing the doors to swing open of their own accord and reveal a severe looking witch clad in full robes and a pointy hat to boot. James assumed that she must be the aforementioned Professor McGonagall and inwardly groaned. Suddenly pranks and fun were looking a lot less likely.

"Good evening students, and welcome to Hogwarts." Professor McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet shall begin shortly, before which you will be sorted into your houses." At this James' heart leapt, and he could feel a tingling sensation spreading from it. This was it. Gryffindor or go home, he had said to himself before he left the house. He began to think of the other houses of Hogwarts; Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. Not that he knew much about them except their names. His parents had both been Gryffindors, so they'd never much discussed any other houses, and he'd only opened textbooks with actual spells in them over summer. His copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' had lain untouched for weeks, picked up only to wedge in his broken window to keep a draft blowing on a rare British warm evening when it got too stuffy in is room. In all honesty, James wasn't sure he would have even packed it in his trunk had he been given the chance. The only reason he knew it was in there was because it had nearly hit his head when his dad had charmed it across the room and into his case. Sirius, apparently noticing his friend's lack of interest, nudged him, and James grinned at him in thanks. If James was a betting man, er boy rather, he would have put twenty Galleons on the belief that Professor McGonagall's mouth couldn't get any tighter. As it were he would have lost that bet, and would be down twenty Galleons before his first official day, as not only did her mouth tighten to such an extent that it became an almost invisible line, her face contorted in a scowl for half a second upon seeing the interaction between the two, before returning to its previous and only slightly less intimidating state.

"These houses," She continued after a long look at James and Sirius. "Will become something akin to your family during your time here at Hogwarts. You shall eat together, study together, and share your breaks together. Each house has it's own common room and dormitories that will be shown to you in due time. Once you enter your second year, you will be permitted to try out for your house's Quidditch team." Several excited whispers erupted at the mention of the hugely popular wizarding sport, played at high altitude on broomsticks. People immediately began informing their friends that they would be trying out, or explaining to a muggle-born friend what the sport actually was. James caught sight of the red-haired girl from earlier, Lily, ask Snape what it was. Snape didn't look too pleased, probably because he'd never followed the sport in his life, but as he caught James' eye he suddenly gained a second wind and began to explain almost fervently. James smirked and the remembered an interesting rumour that his parents had told him regarding Quidditch.

Apparently it had been a group of irresponsible Quidditch players that had been the source of the muggle stereotype of witches on brooms. Many, many years before James' parents were even born, the well known team, the Appleby Arrows, were actually the Appleby Amazons, an all female team. They had a brilliant first season, finishing second place in the league from out of nowhere, much to the chagrin of many other teams. Whilst out celebrating their success, they came across the team that took third place; the Chudley Cannons . This was the team the Amazons had beaten to secure second place, and they were none too happy about the new league hotshots. The Canons challenged the Amazons to a drinking game in a dastardly plan to tarnish their reputation, and after five too many firewhiskeys, the Amazons challenged the Canons to a friendly, forgetting that they were just outside a muggle town. The Canons claimed to know of a pitch to use and directed the Amazons to it, telling them that they would catch up once they had found a ref. The 'pitch' turned out to be a market square in the middle of the muggle town. The muggles had chosen this exact night, Halloween if you would believe it, as Quidditch is played two seasons a year, five months a piece with a month between each season, to stargaze. So instead of stars, the muggles got a lovely view of some drunk witches hurtling across the sky on brooms, cackling like banshees. It was safe to say that the Appleby Amazons were disqualified and almost sentenced to Azkaban for a serious breach of the Secrecy Act. None of the Appleby teams have done well in the league ever since, and the Chudley Canons have won the league almost every year since the incident. Then again, James' dad wasn't exactly a Chudley Canons fan. Professor McGonagall was not impressed by the outbreak at all. She drew herself up to her full height and cleared her throat loudly. The effect was instantaneous. Complete silence filled the hall, which was no mean feat as silence is not one to fill things, hence why it is so awkward. James could have sworn that the professor had a small smile on her face as she glanced around with grim satisfaction. Then he reminded himself that he had mentally lost twenty Galleons on this woman and shrugged it off.

"As I was saying," She continued, doing a very good job of pretending that they had been this quiet the entire time. "Ultimately, your houses will compete within the school for both the Quidditch Cup and the House Cup. Now, acts of great merit and achievement performed by an individual or group will earn their houses House Points. The house with the most points at the end of the school year shall win the House Cup." She said. James smirked, that sounded easy enough. Sirius seemed to share his opinion.

"That seems a little too easy mate, don't you think?" He asked. James was about to respond when Professor McGonagall spoke again.

"That's because it is too easy, Mr Black." She told Sirius, whilst still addressing the year. Several students laughed at Sirius, who barked with laughter himself before stopping, confused.

"Wait, professor? How did you know my name?" He questioned, and James shared his friend's confusion. Professor McGonagall smiled, actually smiled.

"This is a school for magic is it not Mr Black? You arrived on a magic train, crossed a lake on magic boats and entered a magic castle and you're surprised by the fact that I, a teacher at this school, know your name?" She asked him, not unkindly. A few sniggers could be heard, but Sirius acted as if he heard them not.

"Well, when you put it that way I suppose not professor!" He exclaimed to laughter of those around him. James gave him a playful shove.

"You, mate, are an idiot." He said, and Sirius laughed again before remembering that McGonagall was stood there and sobering up.

"Now, as Mr Black has stated, this is too easy. As well as earning House Points for your house, you can also give members of faculty reason to deduct them. Any wrongdoing or tomfoolery may end in deduction of points, and detention, although those will be dealt with by your heads of houses. I also feel it necessary to add that, as head of Gryffindor house, I shall tolerate no troublemakers and will deal with any wrongdoings as I see fit. I assure you, you will not like it." She added ominously. After a brief pause, she continued. "The Sorting ceremony shall begin shortly, so please align yourselves in alphabetical order, starting with Alfred Abercrombie." There was a lot of shuffling as the students hurried to obey, not wanting to get on Professor McGonagall's bad side early, and their steps echoed around the entrance hall. Professor McGonagall strode along the line, making corrections where people had gotten confused and messed up the line. Eventually the line of first years were ready, and James couldn't have been more grateful. The excitement was killing him! He couldn't see Remus or Sirius, the former being in the 'L' section and the latter in the 'B' section, but Peter was almost right in front of him, and he could tell his friend was nervous. He reached over someone's shoulder and patted the boy's back slightly in an attempt at reassurance, and recieved a small smile in return. If he was honest, James wasn't nervous in the slightest. He was excited, most definitely, but not nervous. He felt that there was no point worrying about that which you can't control, and as a result refused to dwell on it too much. James knew he had a long wait ahead of him as his surname placed him roughly sixtieth in the line. He was bored enough to count by that point. He also noted with spiteful glee that Severus Snape was almost last in line. After what felt like an agonising eternity they approached the doors to the Great Hall, which creaked open as if they were bewitched to. James almost slapped himself. Of course they were bewitched, it was a magic school for Merlin's sake! The doors swung their final stretch and revealed the Great Hall in all of it's glory. As they traipsed in like a weird sort of snake, James glanced around in awe. The hall was huge, too big to even guess at, although Remus would surely know the numbers, and the four gigantic tables seemed to stretch endlessly onward, although it was clear that they ended because there was a wall at the other end of the room. Banners adorned the intricately carved walls, sporting the colours of Hogwarts and its houses. Above him, the ceiling mimicked the sky that they had just left outside, cloudless and starry, with every star shining brighter than the candles and braziers dotted around the hall. It was a bit intimidating really, the size of it, as the hall was full to the brim with students from the six other year groups of Hogwarts. James quickly ran some basic maths through his head. If there were eighty first years, and each year group consisted of a similar number, then that gave around five hundred and sixty students, give or take a few. James was shocked. Although the number was large, he couldn't believe that there was only this many wizarding children between eleven and eighteen that attended Hogwarts. It seemed so small. James put it down to muggles making the number seem small, they seemed to breed like rabbits. Their parade in front of the rest of the school didn't last too horribly long, and Professor McGonagall stopped Alfred at the bottom of the four tables in front of the faculty tables and was handed a stool with a scruffy looking hat by an even scruffier looking man. Looking closely at the hat, James could see some funny creases that made the hat look like a face. He didn't really understand what all the fuss was about or why everyone was looking expectantly at the hat. Well, almost everybody. James spotted a couple of students with scarlet and gold ties, the colours of Gryffindor, telling a very animated story in very hushed tones. It seemed to be a good story, as all of the surrounding students were shaking with silent laughter. Professor McGonagall did not seem too pleased, but before she could speak or move the hat cleared its throat.

'Or whatever it is hats have, do magic hats have throats? Now these are the real questions.' James thought to himself, as the creases of the hat began to move. He realised then that the creases were it's face, and that the hat was very much alive. Then, as if it couldn't get any better, the hat started to recite poetry for them.

"Now children, I am a Sorting Hat,

Not a beret or a cap

For my job is to sort you all,

Whether it's in this house or in that.

Could you be with Gryffindor?

Where both brave and bold deeds score?

One thing's for sure, in Gryffindor,

You'll always want a moment more!

Or perhaps you belong in Slytherin,

Where cunning and purity counts,

If your path leads here, have no fear,

This house shall leave you no doubts!

If not, then maybe Ravenclaw?

Where brains is deemed above all?

If this is for you, do not feel blue,

Ravenclaw will never see you fall!

If not these, then Hufflepuff?

Who are loyal as can be,

If put with these, life is a breeze,

They may show you a way you can't see!

The great houses of Hogwarts, standing strong

Each a pillar for the school,

Students beware, but please don't despair,

A missing pillar shall make you a fool!

So heed my words all of you, heed them!

For a magical being I am,

Do not divide, or you shan't survive,

Now I'll move on so you can eat your roast ham!"

The hat said, to a large applause along with a few comments. Seemingly, the hat did this often, but James overheard an older student remark on how this was a new style that the hat was trying. Whether the girl meant the style of poetry or the style of message James wasn't sure. Either way it was a new experience. One James wasn't sure how he felt about. Professor McGonagall moved forwards once again, unravelling the scroll that James presumed held the names of all of the first years. He was both excited yet not at the same time, knowing that he had a long time to wait before his name was called. He resigned himself to sore feet and being bored as Professor McGonagall called Alfred Abercrombie forward. Alfred approached the stool and sat down, looking slightly anxious. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on his head and for a moment it seemed like nothing would happen, but then the hat called out: "HUFFLEPUFF!", and the table on James' immediate left broke out in cheers and applause, welcoming Alfred to the table. There were gaps at the end of each table for the first years to fill up, and as Alfred settled in, James wondered who would end up where. Obviously the ideal situation for him would be that he was put in Gryffindor, along with Sirius, Remus and Peter, but he wasn't too sure. Sirius could easily end up in Slytherin, as apparently family members seemed to end up in the same house. James hoped that wasn't the case, but who knew what the hat would do? James was almost too caught up in his thoughts to hear "Black, Sirius." being called up by Professor McGonagall. He jolted out of his ruminations and glanced up at the stool, where Sirius was now perched. His friend was putting on a brave face, smiling and making a show of the hat going on his head, causing many older students to laugh. Eventually Sirius seemed to be happy with the way the hat sat on his head, and his hands dropped to the seat of the stool, gripping it tightly. If James wasn't paying careful attention to his friend he wouldn't have seen it, nor would he have seen Sirius whispering to the hat almost desperately. He couldn't lip-read to save his life, and resolved to ask Sirius what he said later, not that it mattered when the hat suddenly shouted: "GRYFFINDOR!". At once the table on the far right jumped up and cheered loudly, the two boys James had seen earlier making a large majority of the noise by stamping their feet and banging on the table, much to Professor McGonagall's displeasure. Sirius swept the hat off his head into a bow, grinning from ear to ear. James clapped loudly, and as everything settled down Sirius mouthed something along the lines of 'I'll save you a seat' to James, who couldn't make heads or tails of it. Sirius seemed to realise that and mouthed it again, this time very slowly, gesturing to the seat next to him. James got the message, and gave his friend a grin and a thumbs up. The names began to fly by, and each table filling up almost equally. James noted that the girl from the train, Lily Evans, was put into Gryffindor, though she chose to sit as far away from Sirius as she could get, sitting next to a girl that James thought was called Alice, but he wasn't entirely sure. Remus was also sorted into Gryffindor, which James was very happy about, and went to sit with Sirius who immediately high-fived him and pulled him into a seat. James began to worry now about Peter, who was looking evermore nervous. Eventually it was Peter's turn, and he shuffled forwards. Professor McGonagall smiled kindly at him and placed the hat on his head. The hat took a while to decide where to put Peter, and the hall grew silent. After a long debate and much muttering from the hat, it finally yelled out: "GRYFFINDOR!" and once again the far right table rose in cheers, Sirius and Remus with them. James noticed that even Lily Evans clapped for Peter, though he doubted he would get the same treatment. Almost as if she'd read his mind, Lily turned around. Her eyes met his and she scowled out him, before promptly turning around without giving him a second thought. James looked over at Sirius, Remus and Peter to see the three chuckling. Well, Remus and Peter were. Sirius was howling with laughter at the exchange between James and Lily, and reached up to wipe a tear from his eye. James suspected that was more of a theatrical touch, it couldn't have been that funny. James turned to the front, where he saw the person that had been in between him and Peter, Toby Pierce, sat on the stool. He came to the sudden realisation that he was next, and his heart began beating a slightly faster pattern in his chest. This was it. As Toby moved off to join his new house, Ravenclaw, James prepared for his name to be called.

'Don't trip over your cloak, James, don't trip over your cloak.' He repeated in his head as he joined Professor McGonagall by the stool. He sat down and looked up at her as she placed it on his head. He turned and looked over the assembled houses, his gaze lingering on the Gryffindor table , before he heard a voice in his ear.

"Ah, now where to put you?" It said, and James realised that the hat was speaking to him.

"Umm, excuse me, not to be rude or anything, but am I supposed to whisper back to you or do I just sit here?" James asked. It must have come out louder than he thought however, as the hat, along with the entire hall, laughed. The Great Hall seemed to have a great echo. James turned to the faculty table to see that they too were laughing. He grinned sheepishly as the laughter died down and the hat responded.

"You may do whatever you feel like," The hat responded. "But it is I that must make the decision. You seem to have traits befitting all of the houses. You could do well in Slytherin, yes, I can see a great future there." When James wrinkled his nose the hat chuckled. "No? Well how about Hufflepuff? You certainly seem to be loyal to your friends. It's almost sweet how you were worried about the Pettigrew boy. But enough of that. Ravenclaw, yes, there's definitely a smart brain in your head, whether you use it or not, and great wit." James paused to consider that. If the hat spoke the truth, then he could end up anywhere. The hat continued. "However, I think there's a couple of traits that show through more. Traits you've just displayed. I think you'd be most suited to GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted the last word to the school, nearly deafening James in the process. At once the Gryffindor table rose, and James could see Sirius, Remus and Peter clapping and cheering. Instead of jogging down to the table like everyone else but Sirius had done, James casually strolled down after handing the hat back to Professor McGonagall, who seemingly couldn't decide if she was happy with the Sorting Hat's decision or not, as if he were walking in the park with his mum and dad. He reached the gap that his friends had left him and sat down, high-fiving all three boys.

"See? Nothing to worry about." James said, extremely happy with the way the Sorting had panned out. The others merely chuckled as Professor McGonagall called out more names. None of them were surprised when the boy from earlier, Severus Snape, was sorted into Slytherin. Sirius looked positively gleeful.

"Oh, the fun and games to be had gentlemen." He said ominously, causing James and Peter to laugh whilst Remus looked on disapprovingly.

"I hope you're not going to get us all in trouble so soon Sirius." He said. "I'd quite enjoy making it through the first week without detention thank you very much." Sirius cackled but relented.

"Alright, one week's grace for Snivelly." He said. "But then he's in for it." James laughed at the use of the name, but agreed with Remus. As great as pranks were, they should wait until the second week.

"Sound advice that, especially from a first year. Wish we were that sensible last year." Came a voice from the other side of Sirius, who sat across from James. They all turned to see the two boys that had been telling the story and then banging on the table. Close up, James realised that the two must be twins, for they were almost exactly identical. As the last few first years were sorted into houses, the twins turned to the four friends again.

"Yeah, first week is always set aside. Get used to the timetable, remember the layout, the moving staircases and the doors that aren't doors. Also helpful in letting the teachers believe you've turned over a new leaf so to speak, especially when you move up the school." The second said.

"Ah, you've forgotten the most important thing, take inventory of your supplies and planning, dear brother." The first interrupted in an annoying foppish voice.

"So I have!" Said the second, in an almost equally annoying foppish voice. "This is why mum and dad had you, you know, to stop me forgetting things."

"What are you on about?" Said the first. "We're twins you moron."

"Yes, but I'm older." Said the second, and James realised that they were taking the mick at that point.

"Umm, sorry to interrupt your family disagreement, but we don't actually know each other." He said to the two. The twins stopped their bickering and looked at him.

"Well of course we do! You're James Potter." The first said, before he was interrupted.

"You're Sirius Black." Said the second.

"Peter Pettigrew." Broke in the first.

"And Remus Lupin." Finished the second. The four friends looked at them, all sharing the same expression.

"All right! All right! Keep your hair on. Only pulling your legs of course." Said the first with a wink.

"Gideon and Fabian Prewett, at your service." Said the second. "We don't have business cards or anything, but we're your local trouble-making duo. Need anything at all, just come to us, as long as it's not homework. Only been here a year and we've done a total of how many pieces?" He asked his brother, receiving only a shrug in response

"Umm. Which one of you is which." Asked Peter nervously. The twins shared a look.

"Well, we think I'm Gideon and he's Fabian." Said the first, Gideon.

"Only we're not entirely sure." Said the second, Fabian.

"We spend all of our time together you see." Gideon explained.

"Even detention!" Exclaimed Fabian with a wink.

"But it's alright, come Christmas we'll get a jumper with our initials on. Whoever gets the 'G' is Gideon, and whoever gets the 'F' is Fabian." Said Gideon.

"Although mum isn't too great at telling us apart either." Said Fabian. "We could end up with the wrong jumper. Anyway, we've occupied enough of your time, Dumbledore's about to make his speech." And with that they turned towards the faculty table, looking for all thee world like they were model students that payed attention in class. James looked around at his friends, bemused. Remus had his head in his hands, Peter looked ridiculously confused, and Sirius was hiding his laughter behind his hand. The twins seemed to be telling the truth though, as a wizard had stood up from his seat in the middle of the faculty table and had made his way to a podium that appeared out of thin air. This was Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. James had heard many a story about Professor Dumbledore. Indeed, he was a legendary wizard of great accomplishment. He seemed to exude power, but not in an intimidating way. This was a man that cared for the students under his guidance, one look in Dumbledore's eyes told James that. They were twinkling with amusement as he looked over the students, who had fallen silent as he prepared to speak.

"Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And to you others, welcome back. And so another year of learning begins. But first, some notices. First of all, the Forbidden Forest is exactly that: forbidden. To all students." James noticed that Dumbledore seemed to look directly at Gideon and Fabian here, who managed to look back unabashed, a feat that James considered impressive. "Our caretaker, Mr Filch, has asked me to inform you that the list of banned items has now grown to one hundred and three, all of which can be reviewed on the extensive list pinned to his office door. As usual, timetables will be delivered to you all at breakfast tomorrow, so don't be late, or you may find yourself roaming the school for a lesson you are not supposed to be in." That drew a few laughs from some of the older students, evidently this had happened before. "Now, I'm sure there other things on your mind than what I have to say, mainly what dessert you'll be having after your main course, so to finish I have just a few words. Fizzing whizbee, whoopdeelally, cracklepop. Enjoy your meal." He smiled and clapped his hands, and at once the empty plates that adorned the tables weren't so empty. There was a hearty round of applause as Dumbledore went back to his seat, and then the students began to dig in, the hall buzzing with conversation and movement.

 **Thank you all so much for your patience! I recently read The Cursed Child and it has inspired me to carry on this fic, hopefully the updates will flow.**


	5. Chapter 5: Fantastic Feasts

**Chapter 5:** **Fantastic Feast and where to find them**

 **Well, this took far longer than it should have done. I can't say that updates will be frequent from this point on, but they will be done as soon as I get the chance. Sorry everybody.**

It was hard for James and his friends to decide what to eat first, as the table seemed full of all of their favourites. James noted that the only one that had no trouble was Sirius, who was unashamedly stuffing both his plate and his mouth. He also noticed that Remus had wrinkled his nose in disgust, while Peter had a look of something akin to wonder on his face and laughed at the sight of it.

"How do you even fit all of that in there?" Peter asked, causing those near him to laugh, including Lily's new friend. Sirius gave a noncommittal shrug as he tried to swallow the huge chunks of food almost spilling out of his mouth.

"I dunno really mate, but you don't keep up this godly physique without fuel." He said, consequently spitting half of his 'fuel' out, much to the disgust of many. James couldn't choose between laughing or cringing, and so settled for a grimace. Apparently it wasn't a good grimace, as Remus caught sight of him and burst out laughing. James pretended to be dramatically wounded, clasping his hands over his heart and leaning heavily on Peter, who sat next to him.

"Remus mate, that hurts you know?" James pouted. Remus laughed and sniped back.

"Yes, but your attempt at a grimace made you look like you've been constipated for a month and have only now decided to go to the loo." He stated, causing more laughter. James heard a very pleasant laugh and turned in the direction of it to see Lily Evans laughing at Remus' comeback from a couple of seats further down to him.

"Oi! I didn't know you could laugh! Or even smile!" He jibed, hoping to draw a comeback from her. He was disappointed then, when she simply scowled at him and turned away. Her friend laughed and leant over.

"I don't know what you did to annoy Lily over here, but you guys seem alright. Alice Dearborn." She said, shaking each of their hands in introduction. They replied with their names in kind and James caught Sirius looking at him with a hint of amusement.

"What? Is my hair ok?" James deadpanned, causing his friend to chuckle.

"No mate, it's just if you talk to other girls like that, but make fun of the girl you claim to love, how do you ever plan on speaking to her again?" Sirius asked, laughing. Peter and Remus joined in the laughter, and with laughter being as contagious as it is, James couldn't help but laugh along.

"Since when did you become a love expert Sirius?" Remus asked. "You can't expect me to believe that you're as big a womaniser as you make out to be." The calm but good natured way that Remus spoke made him all the funnier, and James cracked up immediately as the smile was wiped off of Sirius' face.

"You can't be serious, Remus?" He began, offended, but was interrupted by Peter, of all people.

"Of course he's not, you've told us a thousand times that you are!" He exclaimed. There was silence for a moment as they all realised Peter's success at playing Sirius at his own game before they all erupted into laughter. The evening continued much the same, with the four making jokes at each other's expense to the general amusement of everyone else around them, who marvelled at how they had only met this morning, but had become so that you would think that they had never been apart. They chatted with other first years, learning who they were sharing their house with. James spoke to a very nice round-faced boy named Frank Longbottom, who told him that his mum would have killed him had he ended up in Slytherin. James had laughed at that, and the two struck up conversation. Apparently Frank came from a rather large family in a little village in the countryside. James almost envied him, he always wanted to live in the countryside, but the best place for his parents was in London. It was closer to the Ministry of Magic, and also close to their Diagon Alley branch in case Mr Potter needed to cover for one of their employees. Their current house was nice enough, James thought, but it lacked any real garden for him to play in. Still, he wasn't going to complain. Lily Evans, for her part, did her best to ignore both James and Sirius as if they were the plague. James noticed that she did seem to speak to Remus though, but stopped and turned around whenever he saw her doing so, regardless of where she was in the conversation. At points like these Remus would look at James, sigh, and then smile ruefully. James couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of his friend, but then stopped and considered that Lily couldn't be as good as she seemed, she was friends with Snape after all. As dessert arrived, the group of first years could only look on in awe at the platters full of delightful treats. As expected, Sirius made the first move, shovelling éclairs onto his plate at a rate of knots, causing the group to laugh.

"Wha'?" He said, noticing the looks he was receiving, some amused, some not so, in the case of Lily Evans. James laughed.

"Well, I know what to get you for Christmas already mate!" He told his friend, a comment that earned him a grin from his compatriots.

"Get me these for Christmas, mate, and I'll love you for life!" Sirius declared proudly. James grinned.

"I'll hold you to that Sirius." He promised, before grabbing a slice of treacle tart, albeit with slightly more dignity than Sirius had. The conversation lulled, and James turned to Remus to bring it back, but someone else had already beaten him to the punch. Lily Evans was deep in conversation with Remus about timetables and lessons. James smirked, leaning over. Lily immediately noticed and scowled at him, whilst Remus looked faintly amused.

"What?" James defended, as the scowl became a glower, and was approaching a glare. "Am I not allowed to be interested in school too?" He asked innocently.

"Oh come off it," Remus grinned. "You haven't said a word about schoolwork since we sat down!" James dipped is head in surrender and acknowledgement, but perked up again now.

"Well I have now." He declared. Lily evidently decided she had had enough of him, as she began to turn away. "No, wait!" James said, fully aware of how desperate he sounded. "I'm genuinely interested in what you two were saying, about timetables and all." He explained as she slowly turned back around.

"Well, my apologies, but I make it a habit not to converse with bullies." She snarled, sounding not very sorry at all. James' eyebrows rose.

"In what way am I a bully?" He asked, knowing what was coming. Lily seemed to inflate as she turned the same colour as her hair, looking furious.

"You picked on my friend before the train had even set off!" She stage-whispered, aware of the attention they were attracting. Indeed, a great many students had dropped their conversations to listen to the two go at it. James' face soured.

"I only did it because he blindsided Sirius with a spell first, for your information." He said, rather coldly. "But I guess your _friend_ clearly didn't tell you that." He added, as she looked rather shocked. Her mouth worked for a second as she came up with an argument, something that would have looked cute to James had she not just insulted him. James prided himself on not being a bully, as he quite frankly detested them.

"You're lying." She decided. Again, James answered coldly.

"I can assure you I'm not. But you won't believe me regardless of what I do will you?" He asked rhetorically. Not giving her time to answer, he turned to Remus.

"Sorry about that mate, you seemed to be having a nice chat." He said, genuinely sorry. Remus nodded, accepting and understanding.

"It's fine," He replied. "We were nearly finished anyway." He said, turning back to his food. James felt horrible, poor Remus had been sat between him and Lily, and the two had been getting along before he butted in. As he opened his mouth to apologise again, Remus cut him off

"Drop it James, I'm not mad." He said reassuringly. "In fact, you handled that better than I thought you would." His friend continued with a wry grin that instantly made James feel better.

"I don't get it." He muttered. "Women eh?"

"Oi!" Came a voice, and James looked up only to have his head slapped back down playfully by Alice Dearborn. "As a woman I take offense to that Potter!" She warned with a grin. James smiled back, rubbing his head, ruffling his hair slightly. He noticed that Lily Evans rolled her eyes at that, and took immense pleasure that the accidental movement annoyed her. He resolved to do it more often, just to get a reaction from her.

"Blimey, Dearborn, you have a hell of an arm." He complained jokingly. The girl in question only smiled deviously and went back to her meal. James decided to follow her example, completely missing the looks exchanged between Sirius, Peter and Remus.

"Seems odd doesn't it?" Sirius asked innocently, a gleam in his eye that entirely betrayed his thought process. James looked up, confusion etched on his face.

"What does?" He questioned, glancing at his friend.

"Oh nothing," Sirius replied, waving him off casually. "Just that you seem to want every girl but Miss Evans over there to like you." He winked as James slapped a hand to his face.

"Not this again." He groaned comically, as the others erupted into laughter.

"Sorry mate, but it's far too good to pass up." Sirius said, not looking the slightest bit apologetic.

"Is it though? As your friend, I expected you to stand by me, not throw me under the bus!" James cried in mock outrage, flinging an arm over his eyes dramatically. Sirius and Peter sniggered while Remus cuffed James over the head.

"Knock it off, you prat." He complained, smiling ruefully. James smiled back as the room fell silent. A glance up to the faculty table told James why, Professor Dumbledore had once again risen and made his way to the front to address the students.

"And so ends yet another marvellous feast." The old wizard said, smiling sadly as though it was his last. "Now, before bed, I have just a few last minute announcements to make. Not to worry, they shall only last a moment." He added, for a few students had put on sour faces at having to wait to get up to their dorms. "Quidditch tryouts shall be announced in a week's time for those of you eligible to play." Here, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as they lingered on James, who had put on his own sour face at the reminder that he wasn't allowed to try out for the team until next year. "Also, the list of Hogsmeade visits shall be posted on Friday, again, for those of you eligible to go. Now, first years, if you would please follow your prefects to your dorms. To everyone else, I bid you goodnight."

There was a scraping of benches as the students began to empty out the hall. James and the other first years flocked towards the Gryffindor prefects, who were attempting to corral them to one side in order to lead them up to the dormitories. They waited behind as the older students left for their respective common rooms, and James caught Snape giving him a look of uttermost loathing. Sirius also noticed, and the two grinned and waved at the new Slytherin as he was lead off with the rest of his housemates. Thankfully, Lily appeared not to have seen them, or James was sure they'd get another earful.

The prefects lead them up some rather unnecessarily large staircases to get to the dorms, and James was surprised at the sheer enormity of the school. If it was possible, it looked lager inside than from the outside, almost as if one had placed an Undetectable Extension Charm on the castle. James knew that this wasn't true, however, and was entirely due to the inexplicable size of the school. Beside him, Peter gasped, caught in a similar position, as were the rest of their housemates. Remus seemed to be deep in thought, presumably running calculations in his head to see if there was indeed a charm on the castle, or recalling other facts that no one else seemed to know. Sirius attempted to maintain the poise that he was unimpressed in a poor effort to look cool. Behind the calm face and smug air that is friend showed were wide eyes and a slack jaw. James hastily turned a laugh into a coughing fit as Sirius realised that his façade was transparent and cuffed James on the back of the head, sniggering. They traversed the staircases with little difficulty thanks to the prefects both in front and behind them, ushering them along before, to everyone but Remus' surprise, the staircases began to move of their own accord. At first, James thought that an elaborate prank was being pulled, but the bored faces of the prefects told him otherwise. Clearly this was old hat, and they just wanted to get to the dorms and be rid of the gaggle of first years. James couldn't really say he blamed them, but they could have at least acted upbeat. Finally, the lead prefect stopped in front of a portrait of an abnormally large woman, labelled THE FAT LADY. Rather rude in James' opinion, but he couldn't deny that she was big. The portrait turned and raised an eyebrow at the group.

"So, this is the new crop eh? Do you know the password dears?" She asked in a polite, foppish voice. The male prefect stepped forward.

"This is important people, so listen up, to enter the common room, you need the correct password, which changes every month. This month's password is 'Monkswood', alright?" He said, as the Fat Lady swung forward on a hinge to omit them to the common room. James noticed that Remus started ever so slightly at hearing the password, but thought nothing of it. He assumed that the prefect speaking had jolted the boy out of his inner thoughts. The prefects split the girls from the boys and lead them to the dorms. James was delighted to see that he was in a room with Sirius, Remus and Peter, as shown by their trunks and bags in the middle of the floor in the room. The room itself was nice, almost homely. There was a large window that would give a fantastic view of the grounds in the daytime, but at the present it was covered by a rather tasteful curtain that reached almost to the floor. There was a four poster bed for each of them, with drapes hat gave them privacy, although James doubted that they would be drawn often as they all seemed to get along just fine.

"I call dibs on that bed!" Sirius declared, unceremoniously throwing himself on the bed closest to the door. It was hard to tell if the snoring that followed was real or pretend, but the other three laughed all the same.

"Oi, get up you muppet." Called Remus. "We still need to unpack and everything."

"Oh alright mum, calm down." Sirius replied, waving his hand dismissively and sitting up. James took the four poster next to Sirius, whilst Remus and Peter took the two opposite. There was a wardrobe for each of them, thankfully, so the boys began the arduous task of deciding what went where and if socks were important enough to have their own shelf.

"I still think that they deserve it." Complained Sirius as he was outvoted three to one. The others chuckled.

"No one is stopping you Sirius, but we agree that they should share a shelf with underwear. I for one don't own enough pairs of socks to fill one of these, but if you do then don't let us get in your way" Replied Remus, smiling slightly.

"You lot don't know what you're on about." The black-haired boy carried on. "I mean, they perform the vital task of keeping our feet toasty and warm, not too mention blister-free!"

"I think you just have big feet to match your big head." Jibed Peter, eliciting a guffaw from James and Remus while Sirius stared on in shock before recovering.

"Well, you know what they say about people with big feet…" He said smugly.

"Big socks? That's kind of what Peter was getting at mate." James interrupted with a wink. He pulled out a pair of Gryffindor socks, complete with a small lion on each side.

"Would have been embarrassing to have these had I not got into Gryffindor eh?" He asked, laughing nervously. The others laughed along as they pulled out various items of clothing out of their trunks and stuffing them into their rapidly filling wardrobes. As they lapsed into comfortable silence, James reflected on his day. He didn't think it could have gone any better in truth. He had met a brilliant group of people whom he was happy to call his friends in Remus, Peter and, of course, Sirius. Though they were as unalike as could be, in both appearance and mindset, with Remus' studious approach to life and Sirius' happy-go-lucky one, they clicked perfectly into place, as though they were a jigsaw puzzle. They had all managed to make Gryffindor House, something that had been on James' mind since the beginning of summer, and even better, had a dorm all to themselves. The perfect retreat. Their housemates were good fun too, from pleasant, round-faced Frank Longbottom to the grinning, playful Alice Dearborn, and the gorgeous yet fiery Lily Evans. That was one aspect of the day that James would have changed. Although in fairness, Severus Snape had thoroughly deserved the treatment he had received, James felt as though he had gotten off on the proverbial wrong foot with Lily. There was something about her that drew him in yet made him act like a complete buffoon in front of her. Girls, he would never understand them. They were far too complicated for an eleven year old's head to wrap around.

"Earth to James! You in there mate?" Sirius called, waving a hand far too close to James' face for comfort, and he leant back in reaction, grabbing his friend's wrist and pushing him away. This caught Sirius by surprise, and he toppled backwards in shock, crashing onto his bed and bouncing slightly on the bed springs. There was applause from Remus and Peter, although Remus' was more sarcastic and dry than the smallest member of their group.

"Wow James! How did you move that fast?" Peter gushed. He then started, and blushed slightly, realising that he appeared a little bit overeager. James reached out a hand to pull Sirius back to his feet, pushing the other backwards through his hair subconsciously. Sirius however, had other ideas, and latched onto James' hand, pulling him onto the bed with him so that James landed face first.

"Doesn't matter now, I have the upper hand you scoundrel!" He exclaimed in mock outrage, drawing his wand and pretending to cast a spell at James, who merely whipped Sirius' own pillow at him. Sirius had been too busy flourishing his arms around exaggeratedly, so the pillow sailed right between his outstretched limbs and into his face. For the second time in as many minutes, Sirius landed backwards. There was a roar of laughter from the other three, and Sirius got up grinning.

"Tell you what mate, reflexes like that and a decent arm to boot, you might make the Quidditch team next year!" Sirius exclaimed, with the others nodding in agreement. James grinned.

"Only next year? What's wrong with my chances this year?!" He cried, faking hurt.

"Oh, only this little, tiny detail like an age limit!" Called Remus, joining in Sirius' teasing.

"Yeah, ickle Jamesie is too young, he might get hurt!" Sirius cackled.

"Oh sod off, the pair of you." James said, though he was grinning as he said it. "At least you're on my side Peter." He said to the only one yet to join in the fun. Sirius and Remus turned to Peter expectantly, and he turned slightly red as his mind failed to yield a good insult to throw at James. James noticed this and hastily covered it up so Peter wouldn't feel embarrassed.

"Like to outnumber your opponents then Sirius? Not very _brave_ of you." He taunted, emphasising the 'brave'. Sirius grinned and replied.

"Any day James, any day."

It was then that Remus stepped in. "Alright you lot, knock it off, let's go to bed before we try spells we can't pull off yet, I'm shattered anyway."

The other three nodded their assent and began dressing for bed. James' last thoughts before he fell asleep were surprisingly not of his new friends, nor even Lily Evans. It was about what he wouldn't give to be able to try out for Quidditch this year…


End file.
